SO
SO is the first episode of the third season of the FX original series Sons of Anarchy, and the series' twenty-seventh episode overall. Summary The aftermath of Abel's kidnapping and Half-Sack's death has the Sons reeling, especially Jax; Gemma, who is still on the lam, gets hit with some unexpected news from her past. An unknown gang of shooters disturb the peace at Half-Sack's funeral. Plot In the aftermath of Abel’s kidnapping and Half-Sack's death, Jax sits motionless in his son’s nursery, drinking and smoking; Tara sits in the kitchen, the floor still stained with Half-Sack’s blood. A restless Gemma sits alone in a small motel room, and contemplates her situation while Tig and several Sons stand guard outside; sullen Clay waits in the SAMCRO chapel for any news on his missing grandson. Bobby enters the chapel. He tells Clay that Laroy called with news he “found the guy.” He says Gemma still hasn’t been told about Abel, and adds that news of the kidnapping hasn’t hit the papers yet, so they should be able to continue to keep it from her. Clay, Opie, Bobby, and the others go to collect Jax; they tell him they have a lead on a guy who provided Cameron with fake IDs. Tara tells Clay she is scheduled to talk to Stahl and the FBI about the killing and kidnapping, and wonders how much of the truth she should reveal; he says to give them the basics, but leave out SAMCRO’s dealings with the IRA. He says the real truth is that Cameron did what he did because Stahl lied and framed Gemma. Jax apologizes to Tara for getting her mixed up in everything; he says it would be best if she gets out of Charming and away from him for good. She doesn’t take the news well. Gemma looks at a newspaper; she sees something that catches her attention, and gives her pause. The Sons meet up with Laroy and a document forger whose thick glasses earn him the nickname “Mr. Magoo”; Magoo says he provided an Irish passport and US travel visa for Cameron, using the name “Timothy O’Dell.” Jax asks if he made papers for a baby; Magoo says he didn’t. Magoo says he met Cameron in Chinatown near the Alice Street public marina; Juice says he’ll call and see if Timothy O’Dell has a boat there. At the Charming PD, Deputy Chief David Hale packs up his office in preparation for his promotion to Chief, which becomes official in a week; his older brother Jacob arrives. They discuss Jacob’s upcoming mayoral bid; Jacob says he’s going to need the Chief of Police in his corner. The Sons arrive at the marina and find Cameron’s boat; there is no sign of the Irishman, but Jax finds Abel’s baby-blue SAMCRO beanie. Gemma tries to leave the motel but Tig stops her. She shows him the newspaper, and says: “I got to go home - he needs me.” While sympathetic, Tig tells her the cops have a statewide APB out on her, and she must sit tight. At the marina the Sons see two gangbangers approaching the boat; when the bangers see SAMCRO they begin to flee. The gangbangers jump into their car the same car Cameron was driving earlier and speed away; the Sons mount their bikes and give chase. The bangers lead the pursuit back to their stronghold; by the time the Sons arrive they are met by a dozen more gangbangers, all heavily armed. Amid a tense standoff Jax explains who they are looking for and why. The gang’s leader says they bought the boat and car (and some guns) from an “Irish dude” who needed some quick cash; he says they never saw any baby. Jax rides off alone; later he sits in a cemetery by his father’s grave, and wipes tears from his eyes. Piney who is at the cemetery making arrangements for “Half-Sack’s hole” finds Jax, and offers a sympathetic ear; Jax says he’s struggling to find balance between his family and the club. Piney assures him that like JT, he’s “loyal and decent” and loves “the right things.” At the PD, Tara gives her statement to Agents Stahl and Estevez; as Clay instructed, she only shares the pertinent details. Outside the PD, Stahl continues her interrogation of Tara; the doctor sticks to her story, and stands her ground. Stahl turns her attention to Clay, and asks where Gemma is; he gives her nothing but warns her if anything happens to Abel, he’ll “shove a gun barrel up that bony ass of yours” and “blow your black heart out.” At the motel Gemma again tries to sneak away; she begins to hotwire a truck but is interrupted by the vehicle’s owner. She stabs the man in the thigh, and escapes. Later she tells an exasperated Tig that she’s going whether he likes it or not; if he intends to protect her (as he promised Clay) he better come with her. At the hospital Tara assists on a child’s surgery; as an incision is made in the child’s abdomen, Tara begins to suffer a panic attack, and leaves the operating room. Hospital administrator Margaret Murphy observes from outside the OR. Back at home Jax and Tara continue their discussion from earlier; each concludes they are better off with the other in their life: “we’re just better human beings when we’re with the person we’re supposed to be with.” That night Gemma and Tig arrive at their destination; Tig wonders if they should’ve called first, but Gemma says “he never answers the phone… that was her job.” Gemma rings the doorbell; a woman (“Amelia”) answers. A man’s voice is heard from the other room; Gemma introduces herself to Amelia as “his daughter.” Amelia says she is “his” live-in caregiver, hired by Gemma’s mother about six months ago. Gemma asks if her father knows Rose died; Amelia responds that some folks from the church tried to tell him, but “trauma like that” usually sends him “deeper into the dementia.” Gemma walks into the other room, where an elderly man (“Nate Madock”) sits in a chair covered by a blanket; she says “Hi Daddy.” His face lights up with recognition; he hugs Gemma, and both begin to cry. Nate begins calling for Rose, saying: “you’ll never guess who’s here.” At the funeral home members of various SAMCRO charters gather for Half-Sack’s wake; Unser, Hale, and several other deputies are there too. Clay, Bobby, and some other Sons discuss the need to grow their club ranks; SOA brother Kozik says he’s interested in getting a transfer from Tacoma to Charming. The others are mindful of Kozik’s ongoing feud with Tig, but Clay says, “we’ll make it happen.” Standing before the black SAMCRO coffin, Clay tells Jax that what happens in Charming sets the tone for every charter; he says the other brothers “respect you and understand your grief,” but insists: “they're also wondering what you're gonna do with it.” Clay tells Jax he needs to “make the hard choice… either Abel is dead and you want revenge, or he's alive and you would kill to find him.” At night in Belfast, Cameron Hayes crosses a street with baby Abel in his arms. He approaches a building, and knocks on the door; a woman (“Maureen”) answers. Despite her shock (and a bit of fear) at seeing Cameron, she lets him and the baby in; as she closes the door she looks to see if her visitor was observed by anyone else. Gemma and her father watch TV together; he puts his hand on her head, and she puts her head on his knee. In Charming the wake has spilled out to the street in front of the funeral home; several dozen Sons mingle and talk. A silver panel-van slowly rolls past; the driver wears a black balaclava. Suddenly the van’s door slides open, and automatic weapons begin to fire on the crowd of mourners. Everyone begins to scramble; the men push the women and children to the ground. Unser opens fire on the van, hitting the windshield; one of the gunmen falls from the van, which accelerates towards Deputy Chief Hale. Hale opens fire, but the van plows into him, and runs him over before speeding off. Unser races to his deputy; Hale was killed instantly, and his head was crushed with brainmatter leaking out. Jax and Clay look around at the chaotic scene: several innocents are wounded and bleeding. Deputies have the fallen shooter at gunpoint, and force him to the ground. Jax approaches; he pushes his way past the police, and begins to repeatedly bash the masked man’s head against the pavement until Opie and Bobby pull him away. Deaths *Unknown number - Plane crash in Rogue River. *Unnamed child - Shot in crossfire of Calaveras hit on Half-Sack's wake. *David Hale - Run down by the Calaveras van at Half-Sack's wake. Church meetings (not technically a church meeting) Bobby: Laroy called. They found the guy. Clay: Ok. You talk to Tig? Bobby: Yeah. They moved Gemma to a motel outside Rogue River, club friendly. Look, Tig and the Oregon guys, they'll take care of her. She gonna be okay. Clay: I don't want her finding out about Abel. Bobby: I know. Had to tell her about Sack. Shit's been all over the papers, but the kidnapping hasn't hit the news. We should be able to protect her from it. Clay: Where is he? (leaves) Opie: PD let him back into the house yesterday. Clay: Let's go get him. ---- Credits Main Cast * Charlie Hunnam as Jackson 'Jax' Teller * Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow * Mark Boone Junior as Bobby 'Elvis' Munson * Dayton Callie as Wayne Unser * Kim Coates as Alex 'Tig' Trager * Tommy Flanagan as Filip 'Chibs' Telford * Ryan Hurst as Harry 'Opie' Winston * William Lucking as Piermont 'Piney' Winston * Theo Rossi as Juan Carlos 'Juice' Ortiz * Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles * Ron Perlman as Clarence 'Clay' Morrow Supporting Cast Special guest stars * Ally Walker as Agent June Stahl * Paula Malcolmson as Maureen Ashby * Kenny Johnson as Kozik Guest stars * Tayler Sheridan as Deputy Chief David Hale * Tory Kittles as Laroy Wayne * Jamie McShane as Cameron Hayes * Winter Ave Zoli as Lyla * Jeff Kober as Jacob Hale Jr. * Michael Marisi Ornstein as Chuck Marstein * Dorian Missick as Pony Joe * Vicellous Shannon as Fester * Monique Gabriela Curnen as Amelia Dominguez * David Labrava as Happy * McNally Sagal as Margaret Murphy * Jon Gries as Magoo * Pamela J. Gray as Agent Amy Tyler * Marcos de la Cruz as Agent Estevez * Hal Holbrook as Nate Madock Co-stars * E.R. Ruiz as Gill * Marya Delver as Officer Candy Eglee * Jesse Mackey as Zucker * Baldeep Singh as FBI Agent Wright * Melanie Lora as Woman Featured Music * Joshua James - "No Milk Today" * The Sadies - "Sunset To Dawn" * The Chimpz - "Home Invasion" * Richard Thompson - "Dad's Gonna Kill Me" 301 Category:Season 3